Will the emergence of McFarland change the play calling a bit?

[Coach]

I think so. The Steeler put him out wide to get a matchup twice yesterday and with his acceleration and speed he’s going to be a good one on screens. For whatever reason the Steelers seldom call screens. That should change now.

Give this man a hole and he quickly accelerates through it.

If McFarland he gets the type of blocking Conner had yesterday he takes one to the house.

This rookie is going to make our offense better.

 

[slashsteel]

Pretty sure Mcfarland got the same type of blocking Conner did, but yeah he did well in a relief role.

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[Muddler]

I agree. I've been pimping McFarland for awhile. Glad he had a good start to his Steeler career. Steelers have to be one of the worst "screen teams" of all time. The addition of some serious speed in the backfield has got to help that.

 

[bigben]

Mcfarland looked good in his debut, Conner also had one of the best games in his career yesterday. Huge holes everywhere, with blocking like that any RB would have looked like a stud. I need to see some make something out of nothing production out of one of these guys before I trust this running game.
Not taking anything away from these guys, but we have played winless trash teams, If they can shred the Ravens run D, I'll be all in.

 

[steel dino]

Dont take this the wrong way..because he did what was needed to help the team win..

But with the way our OLine was playing yesterday...I think COnnor left a sizable chunk of yardage on the field.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I want to see the Steelers get McFarland in space, particularly as a receiver out of the backfield. His speed is evident.

 

[bermudasteel]

No...

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[SteelerFan448]

No...

As you say this, I also think sometimes the Steelers coaching staff thinks this way. Meanwhile, I'm watching Andy Reid continue to find new and creative ways to get his running backs the ball.

 

[Sarge]

I don’t know that McFarland “emerged” as much as he had a couple nice plays.

 

[wig]

If by "Emergence" you mean he picked up 40 yards as a change of pace back...

Ok.

If by "Emergence" you mean he came in and dominated a game.

Not ok.

 

[Coach]

A bit more color on the topic.

With Conner or Snell, 90% of the time its going to be a run between the tackles run, maybe an off tackle run if the TE is on that side.

McFarland with his insane acceleration and speed opens up the offense to the following plays that Conner or Snell would look awful on.

1 ) Pitch plays.

2 ) Counter plays, include of famous 34 counter pike play which Parker used to race 75 yards in Super Bowl XL

3 ) Screen plays

4 ) Shovel passes near the goal line.

Let's see if Randy calls these playa a bit more now that he has a player suited for them.

Also, the deep balls should not go to Johnson, throw them to Claypool.

 

[Ike Kelly]

Wow, with his INSANE acceleration and speed, he must have HOF ability. You better anoint him now, so we are all informed.


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[bermudasteel]

As you say this, I also think sometimes the Steelers coaching staff thinks this way. Meanwhile, I'm watching Andy Reid continue to find new and creative ways to get his running backs the ball.

Sarge said it more eloquently then me...

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[bermudasteel]

Insane speed. Define that...

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[SteveA]

Tomlin just said LIVE on FACEBOOK, Anthony McFarland HAS MERITED MORE PLAYING TIME

 

[SteveA]

Insane speed. Define that...

You're on the field getting ready to make a move towards McFarland to take him down & he accelerates by you...And you yell "THAT'S INSANE"

Sheesh.....

 

[Shane Falco]

McFarland, Conner, and Snell aren’t just beneficiaries of the offensive lines play- they’re benefiting from a healthy Ben Roethlisberger and a core of receivers and a couple of tight ends that can beat you all over the field. The defenses aren’t stacking the box like they did last year against Rudolph or Duck. A healthy Ben and the passing game will balance the offense more (just like it did last week). Nothing against McFarland.

 

[Hoot]

A bit more color on the topic.

4 ) Shovel passes near the goal line.

I love a good shovel pass now and again. the one KC did last night was sweet. I wouldn't mind seeing McFarland on a little shovel like that rather than the delayed draw that never works.

I like McFarland and I like speed as much as the next guy. But there is more to the game than just speed as you know. I think the guy showed he deserves more touches and another couple games like that he will pass JSam. There is no reason to force anything right now and I have no issue with a bit of thunder and lighting action. It is going to be fun to watch this kid develop.

 

[Litos]

McFarland, Conner, and Snell aren’t just beneficiaries of the offensive lines play- they’re benefiting from a healthy Ben Roethlisberger and a core of receivers and a couple of tight ends that can beat you all over the field. The defenses aren’t stacking the box like they did last year against Rudolph or Duck. A healthy Ben and the passing game will balance the offense more (just like it did last week). Nothing against McFarland.

you could see the holes they left for the short pass, they pressured up front and the rest dropped the hell back, there always was a free 5 yard pass open

 

[CoolieMan]

there was no significant difference between the blocking Conner received and what McFarland was given. It is not like they switched out OL when Conner left the game

get him in space and see what he can do

 

[SteelBuckeye]

So far on the season, even with a **** first game, Conner's season is:

1. In the top 10 in rushing yards (8th).
2. One of only 10 players with a run of over 40 yards.
3. His 59 yard run against the Broncos is the 3rd longest run of the season.
4. His average of 5.6 yds/carry is 10th in the league regardless of position, 8th among RBs and 4th among those with at least 40 rushes.

McFarland has 7 touches to his name. Let's keep getting him those touches and hopefully he grows into a potent 1-2 punch with Conner. But, let's not make it seem like Conner hasn't been effective these last two games. Hopefully he stays healthy. Because he's got a special year shaping up so far.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

This playcalling already favors McFarland over Conner and Snell. Not only is the run game mostly from shotgun, but most of the runs are designed to go east west and find a crease. Connor and Snell would be more productive with traditional handoffs or at least in the pistol where they can be directly behind the QB and take a more straight handoff.

I'm not sure this offense fits Ben either. He's not a run threat so there's no read option element. That's why the shotgun runs are so effective in college. That's why the ravens run game is so tough. The fakes with Jackson do most of the real blocking.

 

[Coach]

So far on the season, even with a **** first game, Conner's season is:

1. In the top 10 in rushing yards (8th).
2. One of only 10 players with a run of over 40 yards.
3. His 59 yard run against the Broncos is the 3rd longest run of the season.
4. His average of 5.6 yds/carry is 10th in the league regardless of position, 8th among RBs and 4th among those with at least 40 rushes.

McFarland has 7 touches to his name. Let's keep getting him those touches and hopefully he grows into a potent 1-2 punch with Conner. But, let's not make it seem like Conner hasn't been effective these last two games. Hopefully he stays healthy. Because he's got a special year shaping up so far.

Yes, Conner has been solid vs bad teams early in the year. His history even as rookie shows he gets dinged up. The OL has given him great run blocking. McFarland in his 7 touches has impressed. I do think Conner is the better inside runner, I just worry about his durability and fumble issues. A mix of the two is best for now, but I would not be shocked if McFarland is our staring back in 2021.

 

[Coach]

This playcalling already favors McFarland over Conner and Snell. Not only is the run game mostly from shotgun, but most of the runs are designed to go east west and find a crease. Connor and Snell would be more productive with traditional handoffs or at least in the pistol where they can be directly behind the QB and take a more straight handoff.

I'm not sure this offense fits Ben either. He's not a run threat so there's no read option element. That's why the shotgun runs are so effective in college. That's why the ravens run game is so tough. The fakes with Jackson do most of the real blocking.

Ben can still run. We saw it last week. If the coaches would ever call a bootleg, I bet the defense would not be ready for it. Not that I want Ben to run much. Everyone once in a while when he has a clear path sure.

I agree Conner limits the play calling. He's not a good draw runner either, stop with that on 2nd and long.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Yes, Conner has been solid vs bad teams early in the year. His history even as rookie shows he gets dinged up. The OL has given him great run blocking. McFarland in his 7 touches has impressed. I do think Conner is the better inside runner, I just worry about his durability and fumble issues. A mix of the two is best for now, but I would not be shocked if McFarland is our staring back in 2021.

Conner can only run against the defenses that are on the schedule. While the Titans rush defense is horrible (29th), Denver has the 7th rated rush defense in the league. Also, while Conner might not be here next year, I'm not ready to anoint McFarland as the obvious heir to the position based on 7 touches. He brings a nice speed element to the position. That's good. a good attribute to have. But, remember, we don't know about issues like durability, sure handedness, ball security, blitz recognition/pick-up, vision, etc. after only 7 touches. We "HOPE" those things are positives for him, but, no way to tell until he develops a body of work. We'll see, but I'm not ready to put all my eggs in the McFarland basket until I see more over a longer period of time.